Method of and apparatus for



R. M. BRIGGS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SHELLAC AND THE LIKE TO SHEETS 0FMATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- IY. 191?.

Patented July 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W EEEEEWL II m rwli Inventor b Robert M. Bri

g fin! H i s flttorneg R. M. BRIGGS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SHELLAC AND THE LIKE TO SHEETS 0FMATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. IT. I9I7.

1,31 1 ,491 Patented July 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Fig.3. w

Inventor: Robert M. Briggs,

fi l His flttorneg.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BRIGGS, OF PIITSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGKORL T0 GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SHELLAC AND THE LIKE TO SHEETS OF.MATEBIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJIuhLZQ. 1919.

Application filed November 17, 1917. Serial No. 202,649.

citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, county ofBerkshire, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Applying Shellacand the Like to Sheets of Material, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a novel method of applying shellac and the liketo sheets of material and especially fibrous material, such as paperfrom which insulating tubes and the like are to lee-made, and it alsorelates to a novel machine by which this coating process is carried out.I

Shellac and similar material have hitherto been appliedto paper in asolution, alcohol usually being used as the solvent. This solvent isexpensive, and besides its use is attended with the additionaldisadvantage that the same must be expelled from the surface of thepaper as its presence diminishes the insulating properties thereof,particularly when the same is used in the manufacture of paper tubes.This expulsion of the alcohol requires a considerabletime and to thatextent retards the process. In accordance with my invention, the shellacor other material is applied" to the paper or other sheet in a fluidcondition .withoutthe use of a solvent, thereby avoiding thedisadvantages above referred to.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in "yhich I have illustrated a machine contructed in accordancewith my invention by which the paper or other material may be coatedwith shellac and the like and in which Figure 1 is a side view; Fig. 2is an end view; Fi 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion 0 the machineshowing the driving connections between the motor and one o the rollsover which the aper is passed; Fig. ,4. is'a cross section 0 therollsshown in Fig.3; Fig. 5 is a d tail, view of the hoper from whichthe shellac or other material s fed to the machine and Fig, 6 is adetail employed.

view of the clutch mechanism for connecting and disconnecting thefeeding mechanism associated with the hopper from the driving motor.

Referring now to the drawings, the frame of the machine comprisesvertical supportmg members 10 which are connected to- 65 ether and heldin position by cross bars 11. 0 drums 12 and 12, on which sheets ofmaterial such as paper are wound, are supported onbrackets 13 and 13.The sheets of paper 14 and 14 are reeled from the drums, the respectivesheets passing between ad acently disposed application rolls 15 and 15,from which they pass to receiving rolls 16 and 16'.

I prefer to apply the shellac to the paper by maintainin a pool of fusedshellac at the point where t e paper enters the r lls and continuallyrenewing the pool wit fresh shellac so as to avoid polymerization. Inthe particular embodiment of my invention which I have illustratedherein, the shellac is fed, in the form of a powder, from a suitablecontainer onto one of the sheets of paper which is caused .130 pass overa hot surface as it apprpaches the rolls so that the shellac is fused onthe surface of the paper before it reaches the pool at the oint wherethe paper enters the rolls. In t e arrangement shown in the drawings theowdered shellac 17 or other similar material 1s carried in a hopper 18from which the same is fed to the paper. Between the point where theshellac is fed to the paper and the application rolls 15 and 15 I haveprovided a heating table 23 over which the paper passes. This table isheated sufliciently to cause the powdered shellac to become fused as itpasses over the same. The rolls 15 and 15' are also heated so that theshellac will be maintained in a fluid condition until it is applied tothe paper. The heated table 23 and the rolls 15 and 15 are preferablyelectrically heated although any suitable source of heat may be Theelectrical heating units for the heatin ms un t h te w t shown in ttable ar .shown at 24. The heat- 96 drawing. Shellac polymerizes afterit has been subjected to a high temperature for any great length of timeand becomes infusible at thattemperature; hence it is undesirable thatthe shellacshould remain in a fused condition for any great length oftime. For this reason the heating table over which the paper passes isdisposed relatively near the application rolls so that the shellacremains in a heated condition for only a short time in passing from theheating table to the application rolls, and since a new stock ofmaterial is being continuously supplied to the pool formed between therolls, none of the shellac remains in a fused condition for asufliciently long time to interfere with its treatment in the subsequentsteps of the process, and the shellac can again be fused withoutdifficulty, as for example, when the coated paper is used for makinginsulating paper tubes. As the two sheets of coated material pass beyondthe line of engagement between the two rolls, the coated surfaces of thetwo sheets are separated leaving an even coating on either sheet whichis then cooled and accordingly dried as the sheet passes from theapplication rolls to the receiving rolls.

A- member 19 (see Fig. 5) generally cylindrical in form, is rotatablymounted in the bottom of the hopper and is so designed as to close thebottom thereof. The cylinder is provided on its periphery withlongitudinally extending grooves 20 which are filled with powderedmaterial, as they are brought beneath the same by the rotation of thecylinder. This material is carried outside the casing as the cylinder isrotated and is emptied into a chute 21 from which the same is spread onthe sheet 14 in powdered form. The chute is supported on a bracket 22.

Vertical retaining members 25 which conform to the vertical contour ofthe rolls are provided at the ends of the rolls for maintaining the poolin position lon 'tudinally between the rolls. The members are supportedby brackets 26. The machine is operated by a motor which I have shown asan electric motor 27 which drives a shaft 28 by means of a belt 29. Tothe shaft-28 is secured a worm'28 which engages a worm wheel 30 securedon a shaft 31. One of the rolls 15 is rotated from the shaft 31 througha. system of gears which I have indicated in general by the referencecharacter A, and which need not be specifically described. The last gearwheel 32 in the train engages a gear wheel 33 mounted on the shaftcarrying the roll 15. The other roll is rotated because of itsengagement with the other roll or with the paper passing between therolls, as the case may be. provided with sprocket wheels 34 and 35 whichare engaged by sprocket chains 36 and 37 respectively, and the latter inturn The shaft 31 is also which is transmitted by sprocket chain 41 to asprocket wheel 42. This sprocket wheel is secured on a counter-shaft 43,the latter being journaled in a bearing 44. A second sprocket 45 isloosely mounted on the shaft which actuates the cylinder 19 through asprocket chain 46 which engages a sprocket wheel mounted on said shaft.The sprocket wheel 45 is connected to and disconnected from the shaft 43by means of a claw clutc 47 actuated by a handle 48.

The distance between the rolls 15 and 15' is regulated 'by theadjustment of one of the rolls 15 by means of heads 49 only one of whichis shown in the drawing. hese heads engage the slidable journal blocksin which the shaft carrying the roll 15' is mounted. The heads 49 aremoved longitudinally by shafts 50 provided with screw threads at 51which engage threads (not shown) on the interior of collars 52 throughwhich the shafts pass. One of the shafts 50 is rotated by means of ashank 53 which is engaged by a suitable handle. The head 49 which is notshown in the drawing may be actuated through suitable bevel gears 54 and'55 in the same manner as the one which has just been described.

The operation of the machine which will readily be understood from theforegoing is as follows:

Two sheets of paper 14 and 14' are simultaneously reeled from thedistributing rolls 12 and 12' passing between the rolls 15 and 15 fromwhich the same are wound on to the receiving rolls 16 and 16'. Thepowdered material is fed to the surface of one of the sheets as 14, onthe surface of which it is fused by the heating member 23 immediatelybefore the sheet reaches the application rolls. The rolls, the surfacesof which should be carefully trued, are closely and accurately spaced.This spacing in practice is done by forcing therolls when the coatedpaper is between the same into close engagement by means of the heads49. In passing between the rolls a layer of fused shellac is evenlyapplied to each sheet of paper and the pressure of the rolls upon thesheets of paper serves to remove from the surfaces thereof any excess offused material and also serves to distribute evenly. the fused shellacover the surfaces of both sheets. a

The size of the pool which is formed by the fused material between therolls is adusted by regulating the feed of the powdered material to thepaper and this is accomplished by connecting andv disconnecting thefeeding mechanism by means of the clutch 47. When the pool of fusedmaterial becomes too large the feeding mechanism is simply disconnectedby means of the clutch until the pool is reduced the desired amount andthen the feedin mechanism will again be "connected. Whi e I have shown afeeding device for applying the shellac to but one of the sheets, and inpractice I have found the single feeding device suflicient, it

will, of course, be understood that a second feeding evice may, ifdesired, be used for feeding t e material to the other sheet. It will beunderstood, therefore, that when I refer in the claims to means forapplying shellac to one of the sheets of material, I mean to include anymeans that would apply the same to both sheets.

While I have described my invention in connection with a machineembodying a concrete structure and as operating in a specific manner inaccordance with the provision of the patent statutes; it should beunderstood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since variousmodifications thereof will suggest themselves to those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope ofwhich 18 set forth in the-annexed claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. The method of coating sheets of material with shellac and the likewhich consists in passin two sheets between heated rolls suitably orcedtogether, forming a pool of fused shellac at the point where the aperenters the rolls, and continually maintaining the pool by renewing theshellac therein, and separating the sheets after they pass between therolls. y

2. The method of coatin sheets of material with shellac and the li ewhich consists in passing two sheets between heated rolls suitablyforced together, forming a pool of fused shellac at a point where thepaper enters the rolls and maintaining the pool by renewing the shellacwith materlal ina fused condition,.and separatin the sheets after theypass between the ro s.

3. The method of coatin sheets of material with shellac and the li ewhich consists in progressively applying the shellac in solid form tothe surface of the sheet, fusing the shellac, and distributing the samein an even layer on the sheet.

4. The method of coatin sheets of material with shellac and the li ewhich consists in progressively applyin the shellac in solid form to thesurface of t e sheet, fusing the shellac to form a pool, and distributinthe same in an even layer on the sheet an removin the excess -by meansof pressure.

5. Tile method of coating sheets of material With shellac and the likewhich consists in applying the she ac in fsolid for to the ing the sheetthrough a pressure device in close proximity to another sheet so as toapply an even layer to both sheets, and then separating the sheets.

6. The method of coating sheets of material with shellac and the likewhich consists in applying the shellac in solid form to one of thesheets, fusing the material, passing the sheets through a pressuredevice located near the point where the material is fused and inengagement with a second sheet, and then separating the sheets.

7. The method of coatin sheets of material with shellac and the li ewhich consists in applying the shellac in solid form to one of thesheets, fusing the material, passin the sheet through a pressure devicelocate near the point where the material is fused and in engagement witha second sheet, thereby forming a 001 of fused material, and regulatingthe size of the pool, and then separating the sheets.

8. A machine for coating sheets of material with shellac and the likecom rising means for applying shellac in solid orm t0 the surface of thesheet, means for fusing the shellac thereon, means for transferring aportion of the shellac from the coated sheet to a second sheet, andsubsequently separating the sheets.

9. A machine for coatingsheets of material with shellac and the likecomprising distributing rolls and receiving rolls, means fortransferring separate sheets of material from the respectivedistributing rolls to the receiving rolls, means for applying shellacand the like in solid form to the surface of one of the sheets, meansfor fusing the shellac on said sheet, and adjacently disposed membersover which the two sheets pass in contact for applyin and evenlydistributing the shellac on bot sheets.

10. A machine for coating sheets of mateboth sheets.

11. A-machine for coatin sheets of material with shellac and the ike comrising means for applying shellac in solid orm to the surface of asheet, means for fusing the shellacthereonto form a pool and meanslocated adjacent to the fusin means for progressively removing from esurface of the sheet the excess of material.

12. A m chine for coating sheets of material with shellac and the likecomprising distributing rolls and receiving rolls, means fortransferring separate sheets of material from the distributin rolls tothe receivin means for app ying shellac and the ike in solid form to thesurface of one of the sheets, means for fusin the shellac 0n the surfaceof said sheet, a jacently disposed rolls 10- cated near said fusingmeans and between which the sheets of material pass whereby a pool offused material is formed between the sheets at the rolls, and means forregulating the size of said pooh In witness whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand this 15th day of Nov., 1917.

ROBERT M. BRIGGS.

